ABU DHABI — The Ministry of Labour (MoL) called for terminated workers to resort to the Ministry or nationwide offices for protection during their layoff periods.

It also urged them not to wait for the no objection certificate from employers and sponsors in order to shift to another employer.

Waiting for such a consent could take long time, making them vulnerable to legal and administrative liability.

Humaid bin Deemas, acting director general of the Ministry, said on Tuesday that employment of foreign workers is highly flexible and gives the worker full freedom to move from one company to another under understandable criteria which are like elsewhere in the world.

“Workers whose temporary contractual relations with their employers were ended should report to the ministry and not stay without work in the country,” he stressed.

“The worker is brought from abroad to join a certain job and should stay in it. Whenever the work relations is over, he should not seek for excuses to stay in the country,” he explained.

He disclosed that the ministry has received applications from workers after their service were terminated since a long time reaching sometimes up to three years. “Allegations of waiting for these long periods to get their rights were not acceptable to the Ministry. Staying for months in the country without reporting to the ministry or following a lawsuit in courts is against the law,” he added.